6 rings & football things: Final thoughts on the combine before turning the page to 2024 free agency
The Patriots are making a move to keep one of their top defensive players in Foxborough.
According to multiple reports (ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first), New England is placing the transition tag on safety Kyle Dugger.
The transition tag is different than the commonly used franchise tag. Here's a deep dive into what it means, via SB Nation:
"Under the transition tag, the player is given a one-year deal, with the salary determined by the cap percentage average of the ten largest prior year salaries at a player’s position (in Dugger's case, $13.81 million)... Players given the transition tag are free to negotiate with other teams, and can be extended an offer sheet. If the player’s current team cannot match the offer, that player is free to sign with the new team, and the current team does not receive any sort of compensation."
Essentially, Dugger is a restricted free agent on a $13.81 million tender.
Just last week, Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf told reporters “We definitely want to keep... Kyle,” Wolf said. on Tuesday. “We’re hopeful to continue to work with Kyle’s agent... to make that happen.” The transition tag allowed them to potentially work towards a long-term deal without the safety hitting true free agency.
Dugger has 343 tackles, 9 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks in his four seasons since being drafted out on Lenoir Rhyne in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Patriots tagging Dugger means the rest of their internal free agents cannot be tagged, putting Mike Onwenu, Hunter Henry, and Josh Uche among others on the open market.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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